Certain types of foam can be used as an insulating material. However, although foam can provide superior insulating qualities, it does not have the strength and rigidity necessary to create building materials, for example, panels for roofs, walls and the like. Therefore, there is a need to combine an insulating foam with a material that will provide strength and rigidity to the foam so as to make it suitable to use as a building material.
Wood is generally cut from naturally grown trees. However, trees are limited in supply due to the length of time necessary for a tree to reach maturity. Additionally, the supply of natural wood is limited by the deforestation that is now occurring in many parts of the world. Accordingly, the price of wood has increased, especially in many parts of the world where there is not a large supply of wood. In many countries, people cannot afford to purchase wood to build shelter.
One approach to this problem has been to produce composite lumber formed of wood products, lignocellulosic materials, or reconsolidated wood products to make lumber products. Generally, producing composite lumber involves splitting, mashing, gluing, and manufacturing artificial wood from wood products to manufacture lumber products such as plywood, particle boards, and chip boards.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,551 filed Mar. 7, 1989 discloses a plywood made from sheets of bamboo. The sheets of bamboo are comprised of strands of bamboo glued together side by side and laminated. In one embodiment, each sheet of bamboo runs perpendicular to the one below or above it, creating the conventional plywood cross grain layering design. In an alternative embodiment, bamboo sheets are stacked on top of one another and glued together with the grain running in the same direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,197, which is hereby incorporated by reference, teaches the use of bamboo as a raw material to be used as the primary substance of an artificial wood beam. The bamboo strands are harvested, split open, and dried in long strips. The dried strips have adhesive applied evenly to them, are aligned in a parallel fashion, and are fused under pressure to create an artificial wood beam with qualities similar to that of naturally grown lumber.
There is a need to combine an insulating foam with a strength-providing material, such as wood or a wood substitute, in such a manner so as to provide insulating building materials for homes, buildings and the like. Additionally, there is a need for a wood substitute, which is less expensive than, more readily available than, and at least as strong as natural wood.